The present invention relates to data storage, and more particularly, to a slim profile, rear docking tape drive canister.
Automated tape libraries are large storage devices that have a robotic accessor that moves tape cartridges between storage shelves and tape drives in the library. The tape drives are typically put in canisters which act as a sled or conveyance device to allow the tape drives to more easily be inserted and removed from the automated tape library as well as provide an interface for power and communications between the automated tape library and the tape drive. Very often these tape drive canisters ‘hot dock’ into the automated tape library such that as soon as the tape drive canister is fully seated into a slot in the automated tape library, the electrical connection is established between the tape drive canister and electronics of the automated tape library. The tape drive canisters are then held in this ‘docked’ position using some physical mechanism, such as a latch, thumbscrew, catch, friction fitting, etc.
One important aspect of automated tape libraries is the storage density of the tape library. For example, the density of a tape library may refer to a number of tape cartridges capable of fitting in the tape library, a number of tape drives capable of fitting in the tape library, or some combination thereof. To increase the storage density of an automated tape library, the components of the library must be packed very closely together while still allowing the robotic accessor to reach each component that the robotic accessor needs to reach in order to carry out its functions.
Current tape drive canisters add space and volume to the tape drive due to their packaging and electrical docking mechanism. FIG. 1A shows a rear perspective view of a conventional tape drive canister 100 according to the prior art. FIG. 1B shows a front perspective view of a conventional tape drive canister 100 according to the prior art. FIGS. 1A-1B show several components 106 that may be used to achieve a mechanical docking to an automated tape library. Also shown are latches 102 for mechanical docking to a tape library, a side-docking card 104 to allow mechanical docking into the tape library, a front-facing electrical docking connector 108 for electrical communication with the tape library. The tape drive brick 110 is coupled to the canister 100.
The combination of all of these extra components increases an overall physical size of a conventional tape drive canister 100. The increased size of the conventional tape drive canisters 100 negatively affects how closely tape drives may be packed together inside an automated tape library and thus lowers the overall storage density of automated tape libraries. Accordingly, a tape drive canister that is able to achieve all the functionality of conventional tape drive canisters (such as hot-docking) while allowing increased storage density for automated tape libraries would be very beneficial.